Page 159 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

The Accelerated Job Search

you in your new profession (dependability, ability to work under
pressure, friendliness, ability to meet deadlines, and so on).
Finally, it’s always a great idea to join some sort of professional
organization that represents your field. As a participant (even pas-
sively) in the organization, you will seem to be that much more a
member of a new team of professionals.
The best way to find organizations to which your new colleagues
belong is to either search for them online—try, for example, finan-
cial association, finance professional organizations, or financial planning
networks—or go to the library and look through a copy of the
Encyclopedia of Associations.
You may be surprised at how many professional organizations
exist for just about every occupation that exists. These groups may
charge annual or monthly dues starting at as little as $5 a month
and running as high as $600 a year. You should consider joining
one or several. It would be money well spent.
Remember: Half the battle in getting hired is not what you know
but how the employer perceives what you know. “Packaging” yourself
as part of a professional or trade association can add as much credi-
bility to your presentation as could years of schooling and experience.

Summary Statements for Radical Career Changers
If you were making a radical career change from an engineer to a
financial planner, it would do little good to lead your summary
statement with “10 years as an engineer.” Instead, it would be bet-
ter (assuming you had completed some financial courses) to lead
with something like this:

Knowledge of state insurance practices and 401k and Keogh
plans. Expertise in mathematics due to a master’s degree in engi-
neering and 10 years as an engineer. Effective interpersonal skills
gained from 7 years managing over 18 people as a project manag-
er. Professional, meticulous, responsible. Currently enrolled in a
course of study leading to a certificate in financial planning at
the University of Michigan extension. Member, Michigan
Institute for the Development of Financial Advisement.
Similarly, one way our administrative assistant’s summary state-
ment could instantly downplay her years of serving as a secretary
and highlight her midwifery training—however brief—could be
something like this:

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